If you're an athlete and you want to run faster, here's one of the impactful training secrets you'll ever hear...

...you need to work your hip flexors with EXPLOSIVE training.

It's just that simple.

If you think about it, one of the limiting factors in running speed is turnover, i.e. how quickly you can bring the back leg forward to start the next stride (and how far you can "reach" with that leg once it's in front).

The faster and more powerfully you can bring that leg forward, the quicker you start the next stride and the faster your body will move.

It's the reason you see track athletes doing a lot of "high knee" work...their coaches know how critical hip flexor power is to running speed.

Here's the other thing to consider...

It's VERY rare you see anybody directly train hip flexors (even athletes who should). It's been drilled into people that when working the abs, you want to minimize hip flexor activation (which is a big reason why crunches are so popular).

The only problem is, that leaves the hip flexors out in the cold...they rarely get worked directly or effectively.

THAT is where this exercise comes in...you'll be putting direct resistance on the hip flexors by loading the thigh with a dumbbell. Then you're going to EXPLODE the leg up with the dumbbell resting on top of it.

You can also perform this exercise with a band around the knee (hitched behind and below you). This dumbbell version is just as good and doesn't require specialized equipment.

Start with the dumbbell held on end on your thigh at arms-length. I'm using a 75 lb dumbbell in the demo here. When you try this, start lighter and work your way up.

Now EXPLODE up with your leg, bringing your knee up as high as you can. The arm bends, but the work should be done by the hip flexors...this is not a curl.

Bring your leg back down and repeat.

I would recommend lower reps with heavier weight to develop explosiveness in the hip flexors (i.e. 4 to 6 reps per set per leg).

If you want to develop "explosive-endurance" (i.e. the ability to generate explosive power over a longer period of time), use a lighter weight and go for higher reps (e.g. 10-15 reps per leg).

When doing it that way, I would recommend holding onto something for balance and not resetting the body at the bottom of each rep. In other words, when you bring the leg down, touch the toes down lightly then explode right back up.

This technique is shown more clearly in the video...hard to show in still pictures!

Holding onto the solid object allows you to repeat the movement faster and not fall over.

Also, after working the hip flexors, I HIGHLY recommend some direct stretching for the muscles so they don't tighten up. This can be done with a very simple "lunge position" stretch where you're down on one knee, hip straight then lean back a little with the upper body.

After you've done the dumbbell work, just stretch the hip flexors for 20 to 30 seconds or so in this fashion and you'll prevent any undesired tightening of those muscles.

Bottom line, if you're an athlete where running speed is important to you (i.e. most athletes), this is a great exercise that is absolutely worth fitting into your routine. Because the hip flexors are a fairly small muscle group, you can do one or two sets at the end of every workout without affecting overall recovery from the rest of your training....

...and as you build power and use heavier weights with this exercise, you'll notice a nice improvement in your running speed and the ability to sustain that power-endurance!

Because it's an explosive exercise, the BEST way to see how this one is done is to watch it on video (I've got a 2-minute video of it loaded up on my YouTube channel).

Give this one a try and let me know how you like it...especially, if you're an athlete working on your running speed!